Doron Tyler Antrim is reporting in The Daily Mail the Cairo Town Board will meet March 7 to draw up a new contract with the town's highway department workers, members of Teamsters Local 294. Workers have been operating under an expired contract since early 2011. Prior to Wed., Feb. 22, Antrim writes, negotiations between the town and the union were unproductive. But a recent discussion between town and union representatives "...was cordial, positive and extremely productive, and the parties are to enter into a tentative agreement,” Town Supervisor Ted Banta said. The agreement must first be approved by the union membership and then ratified by the town board. Contract issues include wage increases, summer hours and health care costs. Banta told The Daily Mail Mon., Feb. 27, the town will not ask the workers to assume any additional health care costs with this contract. He said the town will evaluate the costs and "get creative" to lower them. During the season's only snowstorm, in October, previous Town Supervisor John Coyne charged that workers failed to show up to plow for four hours to protest the lack of a contract. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Audra Jornov reports in the Register Star that student discipline took center stage at the Hudson City Board of Education meeting, Mon., Feb. 27. The topic was included on the agenda following multiple requests from board members for suspension and referral data for the current school year. But, Jornov writes, the report provided by Superintendent John F. Howe in response to those requests was "not even legible." Members Peter Meyer and Elizabeth Fout were quoted as requesting accurate and comprehensive information. Fout asked that Howe redo the reports and provide some insight on what is working and what is not. Howe agreed the information was easy enough to access and would look into it. Dan Udell, a Taghkanic resident and member of Parents in Partnership, made a formal statement to the board on the subject. "A number of situations have been brought to our attention that makes us question whether our students are receiving fair and equal treatment and thus fair and equal access to the educational resources that they are entitled to," Udell said. The board also heard from Rodeshia Jones, mother of a suspended student. Jones presented a petition and called upon the board to look into district discipline policy. The members of PiP present during the meeting and Howe agreed to take a deeper look at the discipline policy and its enforcement. Read the full story in the Register Star.

[caption id="attachment_18170" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Common Cause's proposed Congressional map for the WGXC listening area."][/caption]On Mon., Feb. 27 a three-judge panel and special master charged with overseeing the legislative and Congressional redistricting process ordered all stakeholders to provide maps they believe should be considered by Wed., Feb. 29, and to file formal responses to any of those proposals, by Friday, March 2. US Magistrate and Special Master, Roanne Mann, set a March 12 deadline, to produce final Congressional district maps with a public hearing on that proposal set for March 15. Throughout the proceeding, both the three-judge panel and the Magistrate emphasized the short-time frame by which the work must be accomplished and set clear deadlines and criteria by which the map drawing will be accomplished. Common Cause is one group that has a Congressional map, and they turn our area into the 19th District (currently it is the 20th), and make it a much more east-west district than the current district that runs north to Saratoga.

Emilia Teasdale writes in the Columbia Paper the Camphill Ghent retirement project is now open and operational. The 112-acre retirement housing complex located on Route 66, south of the Village of Chatham, is the first of its kind in the country. The complex offers a mix of living styles, and of people with and without special needs. Camphill Ghent started as a project for people living at Camphill Village, a living center for people with developmental disabilities and their caretakers and families. The Camphill board initiated the project based on the understanding that residents stay with the organization for life and need new facilities as they get older, Teasdale writes. The non-profit also wanted a place for its own retired employees to live. The development currently houses 29 residents in 31 units and a senior center. A second senior center is expected to open soon and an arts center is under construction. Chief Executive Officer John Baring said the facility currently employs 24 staff members, called co-workers, and will hire eight more co-workers in the coming weeks. Baring told Teasdale the project is expected to receive Gold LEED certification, because its builders and designers used energy efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable materials and designs. Camphill follows the teaching philosophy Rudolf Steiner. Camphill Village in Copake is one of 100 similar communities worldwide. Read the full story in the Feb. 23 edition of the Columbia Paper.

Today is Leap Day. From Wikipedia:

February 29, known as a leap day in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are evenly divisible by 4..... Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day into the year, the drift can be corrected.

Weather right now

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
FAR LEFT:The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Catskill, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Greene and Columbia counties, counties to the north, and western Ulster County. The NWS predicts snow, mainly after noon, in Catskill Wednesday. High near 36. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. Wednesday night: Snow and sleet, becoming all sleet after midnight. Low around 31. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Thursday: A chance of rain, snow, and sleet before 10 a.m., then a chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42, low around 30.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy some rain, with a high near 46, low around 36.
• Saturday: A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 49, low around 28.
• Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46.

Town meetings today
Today is the fifth Wednesday of the month, and a rare Feb. 29.
CATSKILL Board of Education meeting. 7 p.m. in in Catskill High School library in Catskill High School audititorium, 341 West Main St., Catskill.
GREENPORT An organizational meeting for 2012 Community Day/Anniversary Celebration will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the Greenport Town Hall. Anyone interested in attending is welcome.
VOORHEESVILLE 2012 Small Farms Summit from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension, 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, NY. To register, contact Gale Kohler at gek4@cornell.edu For farmers, educators, agricultural service providers, policy makers, non-profit organizations, students and community members. Sponsored by the Cornell Small Farms Program.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:32 a.m. / 5:46 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 10:17 a.m. / 1:28 a.m. Thursday next day
First Quarter Moon: 8:23 p.m.

Tonight's big games
Scores
NBA: New Jersey Nets 93 at Dallas Mavericks 92; Brooke Lopez, 38 points.
Schedules
NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TV: MSG)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Wed. Feb. 29:
• "WGXC Afternoon Show," 4-6 p.m.: Ron Diamondstein talks to Bob Hallock, the President of the Greene County Historical Society, from the Catskill Community Center. Plus news, music, local event previews, and more.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play

New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120309 free103_15anniv
• A OFF PSA 20120310 Coop. Ext. Forest Stewardship.mp3

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Four to eight inches of snow are possible, making for possibly the first winter snow storm on the last day of February.

Larry Rulison of the Times Union reports on a proposed Quebec-New York City electricity line that could relieve bottlenecks in the system, including those in Greene and Dutchess counties. Champlain Hudson Power Express would create a 333-mile transmission power line that would run from Quebec to New York City and pass through our area in the Hudson River. According to previous reporting in The Daily Mail, the proposed line is in the Hudson River a little north of Coeymans in Albany County, and stays there until well past the southern end of Columbia County. On Mon., Feb. 27, two Hudson Valley environmental groups endorsed a slightly different path in the river for the line. "Riverkeeper and Scenic Hudson concluded that adverse impacts to the river are expected to be negligible and will be outweighed by a mitigation fund for projects that benefit habitats and ecosystems of the Hudson River and other areas along the project’s course from Canada," their press release said. According to the proposal, cheaper power generated by Canadian hydro plants would effectively lower electric rates for consumers across the state by $650 million a year. New York's powerful unions and trade groups such as the Independent Power Producers of New York oppose the plan because the line will not be connected to the rest of the state's electrical grid. Rulison writes that the line would help replace the 2,000 megawatts of power that would be lost if the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County were forced to shut down. Read the article in the Times Union.

The Columbia Paper's Emilia Teasdale reports that the Town of Kinderhook received nearly $50,000 of reimbursement from Pegeen Mulligan-Moore, for money she embezzled over the years she worked in the town office for the former supervisor. Supervisor Pat Grattan, who was not in office when the theft occurred, said that Ms. Mulligan-Moore still owes over $100,000 to the town. He's vowed to get the full amount reimbursed. In other Kinderhook news, the town is putting out a Request for Proposal for Town Engineer. Also, Teasdale reports that the town's codes will now be online at ecode360, a website at www.generalcode.com that is used by other towns and villages including New Lebanon. Read the article in The Columbia Paper.

John Mason in the Register-Star reports that Taghkanic’s Town Board member Richard Skoda says reclaiming the potentially environmentally contaminated town garage is, “the biggest project the town is ever going to undertake.” At a Wed. Feb. 22 joint meeting of Taghkanic’s Town Board and its Building Committee, identified nine issues that need to be addressed including, awarding the contract for subsoil exploration. There was much discussion of who should engineer such a study, and how, and Councilwoman Joyce Thompson suggested the town produce a five-year projection of operating costs. Eventually, some members of the board would like to put a salt shed on the site. Building Committee Chairman Arthur Baker asked the board to also consider consolidating highway services with an adjoining town. "Highway Superintendent Tom Youhas said Taghkanic already cooperates a good deal with Gallatin and Copake. Gilbert suggested he also network with his counterpart at Taconic Hills," Mason writes. Read the full story in the Register-Star.

There's more on Germantown's school budget crunch in The Columbia Paper. Debby Mayer reports that School Superintendent Patrick Gabriel projected budget calls for several “full-time equivalent” positions to become part-time. He told the town's board of education it was part of an effort to keep layoffs to a minimum and preserve some programs. He also told the board the property tax has to go well above the two-percent increase allowed by state law. Mr. Gabriel suggested 6.2 percent, which would need approval this May from 60 percent of Germantown residents. Even if such a measure passed, Gabriel said the board would still have to find $200,000 to $300,000 to cut from the budget. Read the article in The Columbia Paper.

Weather right now

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
FAR LEFT:The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to Valatie, in Columbia County.
The National Weather Service predicts a mostly sunny day in Valatie Tuesday, with a high near 40, low around 22. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Wednesday: Snow before 4 p.m., then rain and snow. High near 35. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Rain and snow possible again before 7 p.m., then snow between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., then snow and sleet after 1 a.m. Low around 33.
• Thursday: Snow likely before 10 a.m., then rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 38, a low around 26.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40.

Town meetings today
Today is the fourth Tuesday of the month.
GREENPORT Planning Board meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Greenport Town Hall, Town Hall Drive, Hudson (828-4656).
HUDSON Common Council Economic Development Committee meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
HUDSON The Department of Environmental Conservation holds a public hearing to discuss its “proposed remedial action plan” to excavate/dredge and dispose of contaminants at the Water Street Manufactured Gas Plant site in Hudson. At 6 p.m. at Hudson Library, 400 State St., Hudson, 518-828-1792.

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:33 a.m. / 5:44 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9:36 a.m. / 12:34 a.m. Wednesday

Tonight's big games
Schedules
NASCAR: Daytona 500 postponed until 7 p.m. (TV: Fox) STILL IN PROGRESS
NHL: New Jersey Devils 0 at New York Rangers 2; Henrik Lundqvist 13 saves for Rangers.

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Tue. Feb. 28:
• "4th Tuesday Opera Scene," Noon-2 p.m.: Ed Beatty takes listeners on an opera tour.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play

New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120309 free103_15anniv
• A OFF PSA 20120310 Coop. Ext. Forest Stewardship.mp3

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

Some two hundred farmers and their supporters attended the "Farming Our Future" panel on Saturday at Taconic Hills High School, according to John Mason of the Register Star. Keynote speaker Steffen Schneider, the general manager of Hawthorne Valley Farm, told the crowd that farmers needed to encourage, “mentorship, coaching, learning pods,” in order to meet the challenges of the future. Ben Shute, the owner of Hearty Roots Community Farm in Clermont, moderated a panel discussion with Schneider, farm-to-table advocate Amy Cotler, farmers Bruce Davenport and Ellen Poggi, and Taconic Hills ninth-grader Ian Perry on the panel. They discussed a variety of strategies that farmers are using to try to stay profitable during challenging times. Cotler said there's definitely demand these days, but it's hampered by the “astronomically high” price of land in the Northeast. She agreed that more has to be done to encourage young farmers, as well as to open up markets for farmers. Read John Mason's article in the Register Star for the full story.

W. T. Eckert reports in The Daily Mail that Catskill's Holcim cement plant is closing permanently, according to a New York State Department of Conservation Environmental Notice Bulletin. "The Feb. 22 completed application stated the DEC reviewed Holcim’s request to 'dispose of the remaining raw meal slurry, currently stored on-site, in the currently active cement kiln dust landfill,' Eckert writes. Greene County Legislator Forest Cotten, D-Catskill, wonders in the story what will become of the site. “...if they are pulling the plug and leaving, I certainly don’t want another American Thermostat (a Superfund site in South Cairo), where they pull the plug on a chemical disaster or environmental disaster and just walk away and get away with it.” Read the full story in The Daily Mail.

Video streaming by Ustream
Ariel Zangla of The Daily Freeman reports on the live webstream the paper hosted Fri., Feb. 24 with NY Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald. She addresses infrastructure concerns in the area after last year's storms, and said last week State Route 42 in Greene County was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, the final major road repair after the August storms. Read the full story and watch videos of the interview in The Daily Freeman.



Video streaming by Ustream

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="609" caption="Schoolhouse No. 5 in Delaware County. Photo from NRHP."][/caption]The Potter Hollow School House on County Route 354 in the Town of Rensselaerville, in Albany County, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 4, according to an article in The Greenville Mountain View Pioneer. The one-room schoolhouse was built in 1853, according to the article, "in response to the educational reform movements of the mid-nineteenth century." The school, also known as Potter Hollow District #19, closed in 1954. It is owned by the Greenville School District and the Greenville Educational Foundation is restoring the building. Schoolhouse No. 5, a one-room facility in Hamden in Delaware County also known as Upper Dunk Hill School, open from 1858 to 1954, also got the National Register distinction June 10, 2011.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Shohei Shigematsu via Art Info, courtesy OMA."][/caption]Janelle Zara in Art Info interviews lead architect Shohei Shigematsu, "the man at the helm of the Hudson project," Marina Abramovic's planned Center for the Preservation of Performance Art at the corner of Columbia St. and 7th St., in the former community tennis building. He details some of the project that is to include architect Rem Koolhaus:

• Inside the main space will be a sort of main theater space with wide angles and very comfortable chairs for endurance performances.
• Plans also include a "library, meditation room, gym, something to do with body and mind, and a basic back of the house, including offices, meeting rooms, storage, and classrooms."
• The budget varies from bare-bones $4 million to a world of lifting stages at $15 million.

Then lead architect Shohei Shigematsu ends the interview with this exchange:

"We were thinking about redeveloping Hudson into an art destination. That’s also part of her ambition — not just this venue, but Hudson, as a city, to become a place where many performances and events can happen."

Art Info: Can you tell us more about her proposed hotel?

"We are conceptualizing where the hotel would be. There’s a vision in the main scheme which includes a main square where the hotel would sit and have synergy with the venue. The performance venue will look into this square. It’s a similar thing, almost like a reflection of what’s happening in our building itself: Many activities happen around the main stage."

Art Info: Is OMA taking on the design of the hotel, too?

"Design, no — this is an existing building. She’s talking to many hotel developers, including Andre Balazs, but we don’t know anything yet. The idea is to make a more focused presentation to potential donors and potential artists and developers — whoever wants to contribute."

Read the full story in Art Info.

Weather right now

READ TEMPERATURE IN HUDSON: On thermometer in Studio A.
FAR LEFT:The temperature on the far left is from the Hawthorne Valley Farm Weather Page.
MIDDLE TEMP: Cairo from Weather Underground page.
FAR RIGHT: Catskill from Weather Underground page.

Local weather forecast
Today's forecast is specific to East Durham, in Greene County.
The National Weather Service predicts a slight chance of rain after 4 p.m. Monday in East Durham. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 48. Monday night there is a slight chance of rain, mixing with snow after 10 p.m., with a low around 29. The forecast for the rest of the week:
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40, low around 25.
• Wednesday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m., then rain and snow likely between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then rain, snow, and sleet likely after 4 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Overnight, snow and sleet likely, becoming all snow after 7 p.m. Cloudy, with a low around 29.
• Thursday: A 50 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 35, low around 24.

Town meetings today
Today is the fourth Monday of the month.
CATSKILL Village board meeting at 7 p.m. at Firehouse near Catskill Commons (Wal Mart) (943-3830).
COLUMBIA COUNTY Board of Supervisors’ Economic Development/Planning/Tourism/Agriculture/Transportation Committee Meeting, 5 p.m at 401 State St., Hudson.
HALCOTT Town meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 813 Route 3, Halcott Center (845-254-9920)
HUDSON Common Council Police Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. at City Hall; Fire Committee Meeting at 6:45 p.m., at City Hall, 520 Warren Street, Hudson (828-1030).
PHILMONT Local Development Corp meeting at 7 p.m., Village Hall, 124 Main St., Philmont (672-7032).
STUYVESANT Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, Stuyvesant (758-6248).

The skies above
SUNRISE/SUNSET 6:35 a.m./ 5:43 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 9 a.m. / 11:39 p.m.

Last night/Today's big games
(Hosts: Read scores in the a.m. only, and schedules in the p.m.)
Scores
NBA: Western Conference 152 at Eastern Conference 149, Kevin Durant and Lebron James had 36 points each.
Schedules
NHL: New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (TV: NBCSN)

WGXC Program Notes
Special Programming Mon. Feb. 27:
• "Monday Musical Matinee," Noon-2 p.m.: Lincoln Mayorga hosts the classical music show on WGXC.

Audio clips for WGXC programmers
This information is not meant to be read on-air.
The information below are options of pre-recorded material hosts can choose to play.

Audio clips to play

New PSAs/STATION IDs
• A OFF PSA 20120309 free103_15anniv
• A OFF PSA 20120310 Coop. Ext. Forest Stewardship.mp3

Audio headlines for top of the hour
• 5 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 6 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 7 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 9 a.m.: WGXC News 6:46 PLAY CLIP also International Network News (INN), through Audioport 3:05
• 4 p.m.: International Network News (INN), through Audioport
• 5 p.m.: Free Speech Radio News headlines, through fsrn.org
• Midnight: International Network News (INN), through Audioport

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Jonathan Meiberg from Shearwater, on WGXC Sun., Feb. 26. Photo by Ron Diamondstein."][/caption]Jonathan Meiberg from Shearwater stopped by the WGXC studio Sun. Feb. 24, and talked with Ron Diamondstein about their show Sunday night at Helsinki Hudson that was a fundraiser for the community radio station. That interview was broadcast in the midst of WGXC's one-year anniversary party at the Catskill Community Center. Performers included Brian Dewan, Trixie the Clown, Kinko the Clown, Steve Charney and his dummy Harry, and others. Click here to listen to the Shearwater interview. PLAY CLIP
[caption id="attachment_18102" align="alignright" width="224" caption="Brian Dewan performing at WGXC's first anniversary party Sun., Feb. 26 at the Catskill Community Center. Photo by Tom Roe."][/caption]

Violet Snow in the Woodstock Times reports that Michael Koegel in Phoenica has ordered a broadcast transmitter kit over the internet, and is looking for someone to help him solder it together. He says he wants to put the transmitter at his Mama’s Boy Cafe and Market in Phonecia, where he would pick up the internet webstream of WIOX (91.3-FM) Roxbury. He says the signal would reach a mile around, which is not true of the tiny micro-transmitters legally sold in stores for iPods to broadcast on personal radios. Read the full story in the Woodstock Times.

The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for Greene and Columbia counties through 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 25. Expect winds between 20 and 40 mph and gusts up to 65 mph.